Sprint’s Jaime Jones named first area president

Sprint has named Jaime Jones the first of four area presidents under a shakeup of its sales efforts announced last week.

Jones, a 20-year Sprint veteran, started with the company’s United Telephone operations in Florida. He was named president of Sprint’s south region. He will be based in Atlanta, moving from the company’s Overland Park headquarters.

Three other area posts are yet to be filled.

Sprint also has named Annette Jacobs as its first regional president, with sales responsibility over Seattle as well as Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

She is the first of 19 market presidents the company plans to give single market authority, a model tested in Chicago since April under Tracy Nolan.

Jacobs’ region and Seattle are markets with a concentration of high-tech start up companies as well as home to tech giants such as Microsoft as well as Sprint rival T-Mobile US Inc.

In a newsletter announcing the appointments to employees, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, wrote “...one of her most important assignments: Beat T-Mobile in its own backyard!”

Jones’ and Jacobs’ appointments are the first in a reorganization of how Sprint seeks and serves customers.

Jones and the three other area presidents each will oversee all Sprint sales efforts in their regions. Regional presidents like Jacobs will have similar responsibility for their markets.

Currently the company divides sales by target audiences. Sprint said Jones would remain in his post paid consumer and general business role until the regional plan takes effect next year.